New York Mets - TeamReport

June 22, 2012|Reuters

MLB Team Report - New York Mets - INSIDE PITCH

Over the last six weeks, R.A. Dickey has established himself as the best starting pitcher in baseball, stringing together one of the more successful runs of any pitcher in history. His specialty, of course, is the knuckleball, which puts far less stress on his arm than conventional pitches do.

In theory, then, the Mets could use Dickey more often than once every five games, which has long been the standard for major league starting pitchers. Doing so would allow them to start their best pitcher more frequently, presumably giving them a better chance to win games.

As recently as last month, the Mets considered doing precisely that. Manager Terry Collins took a pad and scribbled out what his rotation would look like with Dickey pitching once every four games instead of once every five, working the rest of his starting pitchers around the knuckleballer.

Ultimately, Collins chose not to go through with the experiment, citing the disruption it would case for rotation mates Johan Santana, Jon Niese, Chris Young and Dillon Gee. But the whole exercise did spark a discussion of exactly what might be possible for Dickey during his career year.

"We just haven't been brave enough to try it yet," Collins said.

The whole reason the Mets even considered the change is because of how well Dickey is pitching. The knuckleballer leads the majors with 11 wins, is tied for the league lead with a 2.00 ERA and ranks third with 103 strikeouts. Over his last six starts, Dickey is 6-0 with a 0.18 ERA, 63 strikeouts, five walks and 21 hits in 48 2/3 innings. He has not allowed an earned run over his last 42 2/3 innings, the 11th-longest streak in MLB history.

In short, he has been dominant. But that is also one of the main reasons not to go through with such a drastic change in his schedule. On most levels, it would not make sense for the Mets to mess with their best pitcher, altering his routine in the midst of perhaps the most dominant stretch any knuckleballer has ever enjoyed in baseball history.

"I could get out there and pitch probably every fourth day," Dickey said. "How effective I would be, I don't know. I like the routine that I've been in."

It is also worth noting that even though Dickey throws a knuckleball, he throws it upward of 80 miles per hour. That places more stress on his arm than the slower knuckleballs that other pitchers have thrown throughout history.

Then there is the matter of his overall health. Though Dickey has never had arm trouble in his career despite the lack of an ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, he is still a 37-year-old pitcher prone to the same bodily breakdowns as anyone else. After tearing the plantar fascia in his right foot early last season, for example, Dickey received an injection of the painkiller Toradol before each of his final 22 starts.

The Mets certainly do not want to risk Dickey's health. They do not want to risk messing up his amazing run on the mound. And they do not want to risk disrupting the other four pitchers in their rotation, all of whom are also pitching well.

But if the Mets need some extra innings for a playoff push in September, it is comforting to know that Dickey is available.

"I would be willing to dialogue with them what that looks like," Dickey said. "I'm not going to say I'd say yes immediately. I would talk through what that looks like and what the plan was and tell them how I felt about it physically, but I would certainly be open to it."

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MLB Team Report - New York Mets - NOTES, QUOTES

--SS Ronny Cedeno went 1-for-4 in his second rehab game Wednesday for Triple-A Buffalo and is expected to join the Mets in time for their series opener against the Yankees on Friday. Cedeno, who has been out since May 27 with a strained left calf, is likely to assume starting shortstop duties for the Mets until Ruben Tejada is also ready to return from the disabled list.

--3B David Wright extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a first-inning single Wednesday against the Orioles. Wright is hitting .366 during his run and holds a .420 batting average during the first inning of games. Wright, Baltimore's Adam Jones and San Francisco's Angel Pagan are the only big leaguers with three separate hitting streaks of 10 games or more this season.

--OF Scott Hairston went 2-for-3 with two doubles against Orioles starter Brian Matusz on Wednesday, improving his season average against lefties to .351. Hairston figures to continue to start regularly in the outfield whenever a left-handed opposing starter takes the mound.

--1B Ike Davis has 12 RBI in his last 10 games after recording 12 RBI over his previous 32 contests. Despite an 0-for-4 performance Wednesday, Davis is also batting .363 with two home runs and eight walks over his last 11 games.